Lock releasing device in refrigerators



March 5, 1957 J. PlSANl 2,784,023

LOCK RELEASING DEVICE IN REFRIGERATORS Filed Dec. 27, 1955 INVENTOR. se-PH H50 #1.

LK RELEASING DEVICE IN REFRIGERATORS Joseph Pisani, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 27, 1955, Serial No. 555,470

Claims. (Cl. 292341.15)

The object of my invention is to provide means which, while normally adapted to lock the door of a cabinet, will be responsive to a pressure from inside the cabinet, against the door thereof, and which as a result of said pressure will result in unlocking of said door.

A further object of my invention is to provide such means as may be easily installed for operative use on conventional refrigerators, and which will be simple but fully practical and reliable.

in developing my invention 1 had in mind a whole series of cases in which children in play would look themselves in a refrigerator or in an old fashioned icebox, and unable to free themselves, would die of suffocation. The invention disclosed herein is designed to prevent such fatalities.

i shall now describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a horizontal sectional view of the front portion of a refrigerator, the view disclosing a latch on the door of the refrigerator, and a keeper for engagement with the latch, the keeper and the parts connected therewith forming an assembly of a novel construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of a collar forming a part of the keeper assembly, the view disclosing the keeper in its operative position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the collar and operative parts in engagement therewith, as seen from line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevational view of the keeper and the collar, the view disclosing the keeper in an inoperative position;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front elevational view of the collar and operative parts in positions different than those shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a top elevational view of the collar and the keeper in its inoperative position;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional View on line 88 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts through the several views.

The refrigerator, generally identified by numeral 10, and at times referred to as an icebox, has the form of a cabinet including a hollow back wall, hollow side walls, each of which is composed of an outer shell 11, and an inner shell 12, and an integrally formed front panel 13, the interior of each wall being filled with a heat insulatin medium, which is not shown.

At the front, the cabinet is provided with a door 14, which is secured thereto by hinges 15. Mounted upon the door or within the door, on the side remote from the hinges, is a latch bar 16 which at one end is pivotally mounted upon a horizontal shaft 17. The shaft is supported by bearings 18 and 19, and is provided, outside the front face of the door, with a handle 20. A coiled spring 2 acts upon the latch bar urging the outer end thereof downwardly.

It will be understood that this particular structure. is

tr D

nited States Patent 0 2,784,023 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 neither critical nor inventive and that any other mech anism serving to operate the latch bar for a locking engagement with a keeper on said cabinet may be substituted therefor.

The inventive part of my invention lies in the keeper assembly designed for cooperation with the latch bar. The assembly includes a tubular member 22 which at one end is threaded into a-collar 23 as shown at 24. The collar is provided with an axial bore 25 and is held within an aperture 26 in a mounting plate 27. The plate is provided with a plurality of holes 28 for application of screws 29 by means of which the plate may be secured to the front face of panel 13 in such a manner that the rear portion of the collar and the tubular member 22 will fit into an aperture 30 in the front panel 13 and will extend into the interior of the front wall of the refrigerator as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The front face of the collar is provided with two radially disposed slots 31 and two radially disposed notches 32, the latter being in degree spacing from said slots, the arrangement of the slots and notches being such that a straight line passing through both slots will 'be set at right angle to a straight line passing through both notches.

Fitting into the bore 25 from the front end of the collar, is a shank 33 terminating at its outer end, in a spaced relation to the front of the refrigerator, with a radially extending spur 34. It is the shank and the spur which form a keeper for engagement with the above named latch bar. The spur is defined on the side facing said panel 13 by a face 35 which rises vertically from the shank, and on the opposite side by a face 36 which intersects said face 35 and slants downwardly from the intersection.

In a spaced relation to the spur, the shank is provided with a pin 37 which is set in a diametrical bore 38 in said shank, the end portions of the pin extending radially from said shank in opposite directions, and normally fitting into said slots 31 in said collar 23.

Returning now to the tubular member 22, it will be noted that at the end remote from the collar, the tubular member 22 is closed by a cap 39 fitting over said end and that the cap is provided with an axial aperture 40. Extending axially from that end of the shank 33 of the keeper which fits into the collar, and passing outwardly through the aperture 40 in the cap, is a shaft 41 which at its outer end, remote from the collar, is slotted longitudinally as shown at 42.

Coiled about the shaft within the tubular member 22 is a spring 43. At one end, the spring bears against one side of a lug 44 set in that end portion of the tubular member 22 which fits into the collar, while the opposite end 45 of said spring is secured to the slotted end of the shaft and bears against a pin 46. The pin is disposed transversely through the slotted end of the shaft to prevent longitudinal expansion of said spring. It will be understood that instead of bearing against said lug 44, the respective end of the spring may be inserted into an opening in the tubing 22.

Attention is invited to the fact that the whole keeper assembly forms a unit which may be easily installed in any refrigerator within the front wall thereof, in the manner shown above, for cooperation with the latch bar which serves as the complementary part of the door locking means.

To describe the operation of my device it will be assumed that the coiled spring 43 has been wound'up so as to be capable ofimparting a-rotary movement to the shaft 41 aboutthe axis thereof. In this connection it must be pointed out that the spring will also urge the merit of the shaft. It will be also understood that while said pin is in the above engagement with the bayonet slots, the spur 34 at the end of the shaft will be in a vertical position extending upwardly from said shaft 23 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It is this position of the spur, which is essential to bring about an engagement of the spur with the latch bar 16, said latch being adapted to be placed crosswise to the inner face 35 of the spur. When the latch bar occupies this position with relation to the spur, the door is locked and may be opened from outside only when the latch bar is lifted out of engagement with said face 35 of the spur. This may be ac compllshed simply by a turn of the handle and a pull upon the door by means of said handle to swing the door away from the side of the cabinet which is provided with said keeper.

Assuming now that a child is locked in the icebox, and that the child presses on the door from inside, the pressure would cause the latch bar 16, which is mounted on the door, to bear against the face 35 of the spur, and push the spur away from the front panel of the cabinet. As the spur is mounted upon the shaft 41 and is secured thereto, this would result in a longitudinal movement of the shaft with said spur till the pin 37, which is carried by the shaft, would be pushed out of engagement with the bayonet slots 31, whereupon the shaft would be turned about its axis by the coiled spring 43. The turn would be limited to 90 degrees or thereabout, as the pin 37 disengaged from the slots 31 would slip into the notches 32 as shown in Fig. 6. The above turn of the shaft would remove the spur out of engagement with the latch bar as it would bring the spur 36 from its vertical position to a horizontal position as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. With the spur out of the way of the latch bar, the door could be opened by a mere push thereon from inside.

It may be mentioned here that in some refrigerators the spur may normally extend horizontally from a shaft analogous to shaft 41, and that the latch would be disposed vertically for a crosswise engagement with the spur. In such a case the keeper would release the latch bar on being turned so that the spur would extend vertically from the shaft in a substantially parallel relation to the latch bar.

It will be understood that some further changes may be made in the device described herein and that such changes may be made without departing from the inventive concept disclosed herein. What I therefore Wish to claim is as follows:

1. A keeper mechanism adapted to be engaged by a latch carried by a hinged door to releasably latch the hinged door in closed position, said keeper mechanism comprising a tubular member mounted in a stationary position and having a front end and a rear end, a cylindrical collar at the front end of the tubular memher, the front face of the collar being provided with a radial slot means, a shaft slidingly disposed within the collar and including a front portion extending forwardly out of the collar, a spring coiled about the rear portion of the shaft and serving to impart to the shaft a rotary movement about its axis, the front portion of the shaft terminating with a radial spur defined on the side facing the wall with a flat face, radial pin means projecting from the shaft and normally in engagement with the slot means in the collar, the spur being spaced from said pin means to leave a space for the latch bar for a crosswise locking relation with said spur, the latch being adapted to bear against the face of the spur to cause the withdrawal of the radial pin means from the slot means to permit rotary action ofthe shaft about its axis, causing the spur to move out of engagement with said latch. 1

2. A keeper mechanism adapted to be engaged by a latch carried by a hinged door to releasably latch. the hinged door in closed position, said keeper mechanism comprising a stationary tubular member having a front end and a rear end, a collar upon the front end of the tubular member, the front face of the collar being provided with radial slot means and radial notches in degree spacing from said slot means, a shaft slidingly disposed within the tubular member and including a portion extending forwardly out of the collar and forming an axial shank, a spring coiled about the rear portion of the shaft and serving to impart to the shaft a rotary movement about its axis, the front portion of the shank terminating with a radial spur defined on the side facing the wall with a flat face, radial pin means projecting from the shaft and normally in engagement with the slot means in the collar, the spur being spaced from said pin means to leave a space for the latch bar for a crosswise locking relation with said spur, the latch being adapted to bear against the face of the spur to cause the withdrawal of the radial pin means from the slot means to permit rotary action of the shaft about its axis, causing the spur to move out of engagement with said latch bar, and to bring the radial pin means to engage with said notches.

3. A keeper mechanism adapted to be engaged by a latch carried by a hinged door to releasably latch the hinged door in closed position, said keeper mechanism comprising a stationary tubular member having a front end and a rear end, a collar upon the front end of the tubular member, the front face of the collar being provided with radial slot means, a shaft slidingly disposed within the collar and including a front portion extending forwardly out of the collar, the front portion of the shaft forming a shank terminating with a spur radially extending therefrom, the spur being spaced from the collar,

radial pin means on the shaft normally in engagement with the slot means and in a spaced relation to the spur to leave a space for a latch bar to fit into said space crosswise to the spur, spring means coiled about the shaft and aflixed at one end to the rear portion of the shaft while the other end of the spring is aflixed to a stationary member of the keeper assembly, the spring being adapted to urge the shaft rearwardly to keep the radial pin means in engagement with the slot means in the collar and to impart a rotary movement to the shaft about its axis, the latch bar being adapted to bear against the spur outwardly away from the collar to cause longitudinal movement of the shaft outwardly with relation to the collar, to disen gage the radial pin means from the slot means and to allow the spur to be turned out of engagement with the latch bar under the action of the spring on said shaft.

4. In a cabinet provided with a hinged door and with locking means including a latch bar on the door, a keeper on the body of the cabinet, the keeper consisting of a collar disposed in the wall of the cabinet transversely thereto, a tubular member axially with the rear end of the collar and extending into the wall of the cabinet, the collar being provided with radial slot means in its front surface, a shaft disposed axially within the collar and the tubular member, and terminating at front end with a radial spur disposed in a spaced relation to the collar, spring means coiled about the shaft and adapted to impart to it a rotary movement about its axis, and to urge said shaft inwardly from the front face of the wall, radial pin means on the shaft normally in engagement with the slot means and kept in said engagement by the action of the spring, the pins being in a spaced relation to the spur to leave space for entry of the latch bar for engagement crosswise with the spur, the latch bar being adapted to bear against the spur in response to a pressure on the door from inside to move the shaft outwardly with relation to the cabinet, to withdraw the radial pin means from the slots and to allow the spring to turn the shaft about its axis to remove the spur from its engagement with the latch bar, the collar being provided with means to limit the rotary movement of the shaft about its axis.

5. In a cabinet having a hinged door, a shaft journalled 6 within the body of the cabinet adjolmng a side of the door said collar to permit the shaft to turn about its axis and remote from the hinged side, a stationary collar encircling to move the keeper out of engagement with the latch. the shaft but mounted on the cabinet, a radial keeper at Ref rences Cited in the file of this atent one end of the shaft outside said body, a coiled spring e p to impart to the shaft a rotary movement about its axis, 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS means on the shaft co-operating with the collar to keep 1,318,626 Wamplef et 1919 the shaft from rotation, a latch on the door normally 2,198,161 Grady P 23, 1940 in engagement with the keeper, the door, when pushed 2,741,505 Coumey P 10, 1956 from inside the cabinet, serving to pull the shaft, with FOREIGN PATENTS the means engaging said collar, out of engagement with 10 77,088 Switzerland Nov. 12, 1917 

